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June 25, 2004
The Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) announced the 2004 Women’s Lacrosse Team of the Year, and national champion Virginia led all teams with eight honorees, including VaSID State Player of the Year Amy Appelt, while mentor Julie Myers took home the Coach of the Year award. Six Cavaliers, including Appelt and NCAA Tournament MVP Andrea Pfeiffer, were named to the first team while two teammates were named to the second team.
Amy Appelt had one of the finest offensive seasons in the history of Division I women’s lacrosse, notching 90 goals and 121 points. She became only the third person in history to notch 90 or more goals in a season, and only the fourth person to reach 120 points or more in a single season. Appelt scored at least two goals in every game, notching a hat trick (three or more goals in a game) in 20 of Virginia’s 22 games, smashing both the ACC and NCAA records in the process. Her 90 goals is an ACC record and she finished the 2004 season with 201 career goals and 278 career points, and ranks in the top-20 all-time in Division I history with a full season to play. Appelt, the ACC Player of the Year, is also one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy, presented to the Outstanding Player of the Year in college lacrosse. This marks the third consecutive season Appelt has been named to the South Regional team.
Nikki Lieb, who earned All-ACC honors as a second year and in only her first year of starting, was named the National Player of the Week on April 26 by insidelacrosse.com. Lieb led a defense that was ranked in the top-15 of the nation and held Virginia hold some of the top offenses in the nation well below their averages. Lieb led Virginia with 63 ground balls and ranked third on the team in draw controls with 45. An integral part of the Virginia transition, Lieb was also featured in the NCAA program for the finals weekend as part of a story focusing on second-generation players as Lieb’s mother Becca was also a lacrosse player (for Penn State).
Elizabeth Pinney was the cornerstone of the vaunted Cavalier defense as she led the team in caused turnovers with 31 and ranked second on the team with 51 ground balls. One of the most tenacious players on the field, Pinney had a better than 5-to-1 caused turnover to turnover ratio, one of the tops in the nation. A member of the National All-Rookie Squad in 2002, Pinney was sidelined due to injury in 2003 but came back strong in 2004, leading Virginia to one of the top scoring defenses in the nation.
Caitlin Banks was named to the All-ACC Conference team in 2004 and was also named to both the ACC and NCAA All-Tournament teams. Banks ranked third on the team in scoring with 31 goals and 24 assists. Her 55 points ranks eighth all-time in scoring as a fourth-year, and Banks finishes her career with 193 career points, which places her fifth in Virginia history. Banks has 76 career assists, which ranks fourth all-time in school history and she became just the third person in Cavalier history to have three seasons of 20+ goals and 20+ assists in a season. Banks was named the National Player of the Week on April 19 as she helped the Cavaliers rally to defeat Loyola College 12-11.
Andrea Pfeiffer backstopped the Cavaliers to the 2004 national title with an NCAA record .846 save percentage in the final game, stopping 22 Princeton shots while allowing only 4 goals. Pfeiffer not only set the NCAA finals record with her performance, but also her 22 saves ranks second all-time in an NCAA championship round game, sixth in all tournament games, and her save percentage ranks third among all tournament games. Pfieffer had 50 saves in the tournament, tying her for third all-time in tournament history. Combined with her performance in the ACC title game, Pfeiffer had an incredible 75% save percentage in Virginia’s two championship games in 2004. She finished the season with 209 saves and became just the second person in Virginia history to notch more than 200 saves in a season. She finishes her career with 556 saves and ranks second all-time at Virginia in career saves and has three of the top-10 single-season performances. Pfeiffer also tied the single-season record for assists as a keeper with her two assists this season. Current Virginia coach Heather Dow also had two for the Cavaliers. Pfeiffer was named the National Player of the Week by maax on April 26.
Tyler Leachman ranked second on the team in scoring with 53 goals and 11 assists, and ranks fourth all-time for scoring as a second year, behind Appelt, Cary Chasney , and Lauren Aumiller. Her 53 goals is third, just six shy of Chasney and five behind Appelt. Leachman had four hat tricks, including one in the NCAA semifinal game against Georgetown in which she won a draw in the second half and took it right to the cage to give the Cavaliers a crucial two-goal edge just after the Hoyas had tied the game.
Morgan Thalenberg served as a captain of the 2004 team and was named the National Unsung Hero of the Year by womens lacrosse.com. Thalenberg led Virginia with 47 draw controls and added 30 ground balls. She ranked fourth in the team in scoring with 35 points, a career high. She had three hat tricks, including one in the NCAA quarterfinal game against Northwestern as Virginia rallied to advance to the semifinals.
Ashley Dodson was named the National Player of the Week by womenslacrosse.com on April 26 as the Cavaliers won the ACC title. Dodson had nine ground balls, five caused turnovers, and a draw control as Virginia won the ACC championship. She was third on the team in ground balls and second in caused turnovers.
Myers, who also earned the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association’s National Coach of the Year award, was the head coach of the NCAA Champion Cavaliers, who won their first national title since 1993. Myers is the first person in NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse history to win a title as a player and a head coach.
The VaSID 2004 women’s lacrosse teams:
Player of the Year: Amy Appelt, VirginiaCoach of the Year: Julie Myers, Virginia
First team:Amy Appelt A UVaCaitlin Banks A UVaJessica Beard D JMUStacy Berger M MasonJess Brownridge A JMUAshlee Dardine D JMUGail Decker M JMUTyler Leachman A UVaNikki Lieb D UVaAndrea Pfeiffer GK UVaElizabeth Pinney D UVaSuzanne Wosczyna M ODU
Second team:Amy Altig GK JMUMichelle Brady D MasonColleen Dalon A W&MMeg Dentler GK MasonAshley Dodson D UVaBrandi Evans D MasonLisa Hagan M MasonPolly Purcell M RichmondMorgan Thalenberg A UVaKate Threadgold A VTMorgan Watkins M W&MLindsey Welch M VT